Saturday, May 17, 2008

First off, we want to reassure you that we've gotten your e-mails about the error messages that show up when you try to comment on our blog posts. Although you get an error message, not to worry, your comments are still being published, and you are still in the drawing!

Back to business....today was our last day at Market even though it continues through to tomorrow. Unfortunately we've got about a day's worth of traveling so we can be back in our offices on Monday.

After reading through your comments (yes, all 593 of them!) we realized, we never explained what Market is exactly, and some of you want to know. The International Quilt Market is a biannual trade show where all the magic happens, so to speak. Vendors and manufacturers of everything quilt related (textiles, notions, etc.) set up booths in a huge convention center, and we retailers navigate the area for three days, handpicking what will be in our stores for the upcoming season. (So it's only open for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers--sorry guys.)

At Fat Quarter Shop, we are constantly on the lookout for new trends, fabrics, and patterns, keeping in mind what will appeal to our customers. Most of Market is spent in meetings with our fabric vendors. If you've ever called into our store and spoken with any one of our friendly gals, they remember what you want and try their best to accommodate those requests when picking fabrics from our manufacturers. For example, on this trip, we looked specifically for more masculine and children-oriented lines at our Market appointments based on feedback we'd gotten from you all. Here we are at two such appointments with Lecien and Lakehouse Fabrics (psst, that's the Holly Holderman we're with!). See the piles of swatches we're forced to go through? ;)We get to see the trends before they hit store shelves and plan for them. This year, cupcakes were the motif a la mode! They're everywhere--totes, pincushions, fabrics--and we looooove it. Capital L. Hint hint, watch for these on our Coming Soon page!We also get to meet fabric & pattern designers in person and discuss potential projects with them. You'd be amazed at how may club and BOM ideas formed in these two days! Also, we are always scouting new talent at these shows and come away with stacks of cool patterns to try. Oftentimes, we finally get face-time with designers we've corresponded with for months or years, which is wonderful. Many cherished friendships come about this way. Here we are with Bunny Hill's Anne Sutton (who won first place for her booth, congrats!!) and Vicki Bellino of Bloom Creek.All in all, it was a busy and sleep-deprived but successful Market, and we celebrated with a nice dinner afterward. We ate at a great restaurant called Stanford's, where Cheryl tried their Texas Pecan Pie. Being a native of the Lone Star State and an aficionado of pecans (she has a freezer full of them right now), she gave it an authentic two thumbs up.

Thanks for staying with us....remember, the bundle giveaway is still going on! Keep commenting (once per person please) for your chance to win, and although you may get an error message, your comment will still show up. Good night!

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comments:

So, do we just send you x number of dollars and let you pick out what you want to send us? lolIf you send it all at once, we save postage, right? Will be fun to watch the coming soon page! Loved the pictures!

Thanks so much for sharing the Portland market with us. I check every day to see the pictures of the booths with all the wonderful projects. It's great seeing the designers and especially seeing all of you from the Fat Quarter Shop!

I know I was having trouble and inadvertently entered my name for the giveaway more than once on the 16th. Blogger was acting up. Not sure if that explains why there are so many duplicates for others. :P

It is so wonderful to hear from you at Market. I love seeing the pictures of the booths of the talented designers. It must be so confusing at times with so much to see. I am new to the quilting world and the excitement keeps building with each new project and fat quarter. Can't wait to get to my next project. Thanks again for the updates. Quilting future looks bright and fun from what you are all bringing back from Market. Linda K

Kimberly,Enjoyed seeing quilt market through your "eyes" and pictures! I can't wait to order the Angels BOM!!! What great pictures. Do you need a "bag handler" for the next market? I work for scraps or "jelly rolls"!!! Kathy H. from Ga.

I love looking at all of the new quilts and fabrics. The pictures are great. It's all so inspiring. Managing your time at Market must be a real challenge. So many new things to see and explore and discover. Sounds like the perfect exhilarating and exhausting way to spend a few days!

I am so glad to hear that you are picking masculine and childrens' fabric. I have two little boys and it's hard to find fabric for them-and I dont like to buy licensed characters like spiderman either.

Made my first purchase from your shop about a month ago. The fabric I purchased is in a quilt that is almost finished and it looks so pretty. I also enjoyed the virtual trip to Portland with you as well.

I eagerly awaited your nightly posts while at Market. It's wonderful to see all the pics. You helped me, along with my vivid imagination, to believe for a few seconds, that I was there too! :0) I can't imagine all the wonderful people that you met and got to ogle over their quilts, new materials, and gadgets ... I very much appreciate reading the postings. Thank you! Keep up the great communication!

well, i just lost my blog!! But i am so happy to read and see the photos and gossip.. love fabric gossip, I enjoy sets of fabrics that are ready to go and can be used for a whole project , or precut as layer cakes. I am tired of cutting out and would rather just sew to get the quilt done!! I also love love the smell of new fabric when it arrives in the post. Thanks for the inside scoop... any new designers comin g up.. we need to get them in the system!!!

WOW - It's a good thing I'm not at market, because I would've thought I had died and gone to heaven! I couldn't tell from the photos - were they GIVING AWAY those samplers? Everyone certainly looked excited! (As would I!!)

Looked like market was fabulous. I would love to hear about new patterns, Especially ones using precuts. I would also love to hear about new designers and how one becomes a fabric designer.Since these designers have such influence on what we use to quiltThank you for sharing with us.